West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-23

hlbltl0n, IN THIS moran phase, 10 o"O
the boldest legalism, utterly hostile
TO the free spirit of the Gospel. To
preach prohibition ms moral pre-
eept; to impose prohibition as a
moral precept is simply monstrons.
1t is remarkable with what una.
nimity the Doodle organs in our par
ty have attached themselves to the
interests of ex-senator Camden, and
the Monopoly faction in West Vir-
ginia. Take, for example, the Rich
mond Dispatch. That paper bears
the same relation to the Democracy
of Virginia that the Cincinnati En-
quirer does to the Democracy OF
OHIO, or Bakers Register did to
that of West Virginia. The Dis
patch never fails to scent the 'Boo-
die" and to go for it, by an instinct
as natural as that which guides the
yulture to the carcass. 1t is extern
sively circulated as a vehicle OF
news, but its outgivings on political
topics are universally received with
that distrust and suspicion which
invariably attach to such disrepu-
table sources.
The true organ of the Virginia
Democracy is the Richmond State,
paper not only ably conducted,
but edited upon plane of integrity
and incorruptibility to which the
Dispatch does not even aspire. In
our late Senatorial contest, the State
at once took the side Of those who
made a gallant stand to rescue West
Virginia Democracy from the grasp
of leadership of millionaires and
monopolists who had endeavored to
commit the party against Tariff re-
form, against Civil-Service reform,
against the regulation of Railroads,
and in favor of unequal taxation.
A leadership which had reduced our
majority from 10000 in 1880, down
to GAO in 1886. A leadership which
bought voters, corrupted and brlbed
the press, and taught that these
were the only available methods
to conduct political campaigns.
The Dispatch, on the other hand, at
once espoused the cause of these
corrupt leaders, because it is itself
essentially corrupt, and because it
does not know, and never has known
what true Democracy means. 1t is
still hammering away on the same
line, with curious compound of ig-
norance and stupidity. Ignorance
because it has evidently necer
read the constitution of this State
which it undertakes to construe and
interpret stupidity--because it
does not see that no possible action
on the part of Mr.. Lucas could facil-
itate the seating of Judge Faulkner.
If Mr.. Lucas were TO die tomorrow,
the difficulties which beset Judge
Faulkner would be as insurmounta-
BILE as they are to-day. The inner
ent defect in his title is set out on
the face of his credential, and moth
ing but the decision of the proper
judicial tribunal-the Senate of the
United States-can give him seat.
If this decision is to be truly judi
cial, the withdrawal of a contestant
cannot change the law, nor render
that lawful, which otherwise would
be illegal. If Mr.. Lucas should
prove so false to the principles, pro-
fessed by him, as to enter into con-
spiracy to seat q candidate whom he
has declared to be unlawfully elect
ed, the Republican majority in the
Senate would at once see that an at
tempt was being made to secure a
rartizan advantage rather than a ju-
dicial arbitrament of a legal ques-
ton, and they would resent it by de-
nying the seat to either aspirant.
Fortunately for the country, Mr..
Lucas is neither so shallow, nor so
dishonest, as to be seduced into lis.
tening to the corrupt propositions of
the Dispatch, the Register, or other
Doodle organs. The DEMOCRAT has
taken sides with neither contestant,
but it can not remain silent when
such foolish and indecent suggest.
ions arc made as are those proposed
by the Dispatch. and re-echoed by
the smaller and more insignificant
Doodle organs in West Virginia.
A LESSON IN COAL.
1t is the fashion Of certain, o-call-